Monsanto and FDA Fight Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
(photo: greenprophet.com)

The nonprofit Center for Food Safety has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change its regulations and require all food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to bear labels informing consumers of this fact.

 
Currently, the FDA does not require such disclosure for food. Although there are no official statistics on the subject, some estimates put the amount of genetically modified corn and soy that’s used in processed foods as high as 60%.
 
The European Union requires labels for food and feed products that include at least 1% of GMOs.
 
Critics of FDA policy claim agricultural giant Monsanto is largely responsible for keeping mandatory labeling at bay. Monsanto reportedly owns more than 5,000 patents on its products, and the company has a reputation for aggressively guarding its intellectual property, which includes suing farmers whose crops are accidentally contaminated by Monsanto’s GMOs.
 
If the FDA does not comply with the Center for Food Safety’s request for labeling, the nonprofit may sue the agency, according to Aaron Saenz at Singularity Hub.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 

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